<p>I would echo the above comments. I am an '06 Bucknell grad, and am now doing a PhD at a top ranked private research school. For the most part, I would ALWAYS choose a smaller top tier liberal arts school over a larger public research school. I can’t personally comment on UMD’s academics, since I’ve never been there. However, I do feel like the quality of my undergraduate education was superb. All of my professors were totally engaged in their role as educators, and the small class sizes allowed me to know a lot of them on a personal level.</p>
<p>Given a choice, I’d rather be taught by a professor who loves to teach over a graduate student. No matter how prestigious the research university, I think that the quality of education will be superior at a lot of the top 30 LAC’s.</p>
<p>Also, insofar as you can compare rankings between research schools and LAC’s - I think Bucknell is overall the better choice, and probably carries more prestige. This is probably debatable.</p>
<p>Lastly, if I could go back in time and re-do undergrad at either Bucknell or where I am now (research school that is in the top 10 for undergrad) - I’d say it’s close enough to be considered an actual decision.</p>